Tuesday, March 25, 2008

He Sees the Winding Ocean Drive

Luckily, after yesterday I don't have much to write about. Work is slooooow right now, but we still have to act like we're busy. So, I've decided to work on planning my trip that will take place in almost exactly four months. First I figured out all of the million things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go, then I started honing it down to a more realistic list of things and places.

Of course, it's all subject to change, but right now it looks like this: I'll get off work at noon on a particular Friday and get out of town by one. I'll drive as far as I possibly can and hopefully get through much of Nebraska in the dark. I was going to stop in Denver, but we've been to Colorado before and I'd rather spend that day somewhere else. If anyone knows of a fun place to go to in Wyoming, just off of I-80, let me know. If not, we'll wait until Salt Lake City to stop for a day. After that we'll head to Reno/Lake Tahoe and check out that scene. Now, here's where I had to make a decision. Did I want to go North and check out Napa and the the redwoods in Mendocino and Humboldt where I used to live, or would it be better to go South and see Yosemite, and Sequoia/Kings Canyon and then head to the coast and follow it up, checking out Santa Cruz, Carmel and Monterrey?

If I was going with my girlfriends, I might opt for the Northern route so we could go wine tasting and hang out at a spa. Since I'm going with my daughters, I figure I'll head South and get all different kinds of awestruck by the natural drama.

We'll then spend the rest of our trip in the San Francisco area. Coadster really wants to go to the Haight and Stinky is in eighth grade, so she thinks going to the Hard Rock Cafe sounds super neato. Now, if anyone else has any decent suggestions, I'd love to hear them and check them out on the web from the confines of my very beige cubicle in Iowa, during the coldest Spring I've ever experienced here. Believe me, it really helps to plan on going somewhere far, far away.

18 comments:

Churlita,I'd have to say that in all my travels, California was the best place ever. However I've only traveled it from San Diego to Frisco. I suspect you and the girls will enjoy wherever you end up.rel

must sees in SF: http://www.fogcitydiner.com/ and Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 31. Alcatraz might be fun - I never made it there all the years I lived in CA. Of course you must see Chinatown,hop on a cable car, have an Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista Cafe and sample the chocolates across the street. Ok. Where do I sign up?

There are only a few stops that are worth while between Lincoln Nebraska and Salt Lake. My favorate is Vedauwoo NFS area, it is an unusual spot with fantastic rock climbing and vistas. It is between Cheyenne and Laramie. Laramie is not too bad, for a small collage town.

Yosemite and Kings Canyon because it's breathtaking in every way and the Sequoias sort of cover the Redwoods thrill.

But ALSO, if you head south, and swing up through Santa Cruz, it'll make up for how lame the Haight is now. My nephew (all of 16) goes VERY often because his girlfriend (oh yeah, they're all homeschooled) lives up there and he's totally into the nouveau-hippy thang going on. Point is, kids LOVE that place. And how, exactly, can you go wrong in Monterrey? I hear the aquarium is unrivalled. They have little rooms where the real ocean fishies can float in. Oh. And there's a Henry Miller museum there.

Wow, if you go to Vedawoo or however you spell it, you need to try climbing. OR, do it in Yosemite. And make sure you take time to take a hike in Sequoia. Just being amongst those giants is so awe inspiring.

In SF - go to the Schaffenberger Chocolate factory. I didn't make it there, but oh boy is the chocolate wonderful. You could also do the sake tasting I did...

Hurray!!! I love planning travel, like fun good travel, not the kind for work. It always gives me something to look forward to no matter how crappy things are I know I've got an escape hatch if I can just hold on...

Why don't you see about at least one night in a cool cabin at Yosemite like we did all those years ago. I loved that whole experience. I will help pay for a night if that helps. Look online for details.

As an avid American traveler I would love to offer a travel suggestion. Since you have extensive SF experience, I figure you know what to do there.

After Denver instead of going Northernly towards Wyoming, go South-West and hit Southern Utah (Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP) that is my FAVORITE spot in America, then head through Vegas/Hoover Dam, take the small highway through Death Valley NP, which will put you on the back of Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP, head North again into the Southern entrance of Yosemite NP then continue on to San Francisco. You can hit Tahoe and Wyoming on the drive back home.

I did this route in 1999, but kept going North up to Denali NP in Alaska.

Now you've got me all worked up and I am going to have to post about this.